Flat Student - Guest Post

Hi!  I'm a Flat Student from McPherson, Kansas.  (If you've never heard of Flat Stanley you need to go here for a quick explanation.)

I've been sent to Mrs. Moraine in Washington State for a short visit.
The timing was great because she had a special Quilt Retreat weekend coming up.  But first, a couple of normal activities and then, after retreat, we'll do the "tourist" thing.
(Be prepared for a long post)

I arrived at her house on a Wednesday afternoon, just in time to head downtown into Seattle for choir rehearsals.

Safety first!  Let's go.  

First was Bell Choir.  They were a little too heavy for me so I just listened.

Next was Sanctuary Choir.  Boy can they sing!  And they have a lot of fun while they're at it.  

The next day, we were off to retreat.   

Do you see me relaxing in the chair?

There have been a lot of major forest fires in the Cascades this summer so the air was kind of smokey.  

It's the peak of the season for fall colors.  They were really pretty.

It was a beautiful drive home on Sunday morning.  We had to get back for church.

Before we got there, we encountered a bit of fog.  According to Mrs. Moraine, this is a very common occurrence, especially in the fall.

Guess what this is, growing right next to the parking lot at church.  A baby tree!  Yes, I said baby.  That's because it's a Sequoia, also known as a Redwood.  You know, the giant trees that grow in northern California.

I know it seems really big.

It's probably only 50-100 years old.  Since Sequoia can live to be 1,000 years old, I'd say this one is pretty young.

Okay, put on your tourist hat - it's time to do the "tourist" thing.  First stop - lunch!

We went to one of Mrs. Moraine's favorite places, Ivar's Salmon House on Lake Union.

(Can you find me in this picture?  I'm on the bush just to the left of the white mouth on the totem pole.)

The food is great (or so she tells me) but the setting is super cool.

We ate outside.  That's downtown Seattle at the other end of the lake.  I bet you can find the Space Needle.

There were lots of boats - yachts, sailboats, kayaks, canoes.

In fact, that's how some people come to the restaurant!  The passengers from these boats are probably inside right now, enjoying the Sunday brunch.

Oh, look!  The bridge is going up!

Cool!

That's where Lake Union connects to Lake Washington.

Speaking of connecting bodies of water, this is the Lake Washington Ship Canal.  It connects the lakes to Puget Sound.

Mrs. Moraine wanted to include this stop on our tour because it involves a bit of personal history.

Before the canal was built, this was just a creek running from the lake to the sound.  And on this side of the creek is where Mrs. Moraine's great-great-grandfather, John Ross, had his land claim.  That was back in the 1850s, when Seattle was first being settled.

Next up, a closer look at The Space Needle.

Closer . . .

Did you know that there's a restaurant up there and that it revolves?  It makes a complete circle in about one hour.  Awesome!

Next on the agenda was a stop at the locks.

What's that?  Glad you asked.

The lakes are about 20 feet higher than Puget Sound, so to get the boats from one to the other they had to build the locks.

Boats come in . . .

they close the doors . . .

pump the water in or out (depending on which way the boats are going).

That swirling water there is where it's being pumped in.  These boats are heading to the lake.

Then they open the doors on the other end and let the boats out.  Simple, right?

For more detailed information on these locks click here.

Here's another view of the doors.  You can kind of see the water on the other side is near the top of the doors.  When they're closed they let you walk across.

This is neat, but it's not the right time of year so the fish weren't migrating.

One last thing before we leave the locks.  This sculpture is called Salmon Waves.

Some of those boats that were going through the locks probably came from this marina.  A marina is like a parking lot for boats.

Lots and lots of boats!

This marina is on salt water.

This is Puget Sound.  It connects to the Pacific Ocean.  Those mountains on the other side are called The Olympics, on the Olympic Peninsula.

The driftwood on this beach is big but Mrs. Moraine says that out on the Pacific Coast it's HUGE.  And there's a lot!

Have you noticed my interest in trees?  I feel a special connection to them for some reason.

Anyone ready for a snack?  Mrs. Moraine says seaweed is edible but I think I'll pass.  

And with the sun getting low in the west (and the battery in the camera dead) we called a close to our tourist-for-a-day adventure.

Back to Mrs. Moraine's normal, everyday life.  Here I am before returning to Kansas.  Just hanging out with my new BFFs (best furry friends), Ebeneezer and Florine, also known as . . . Eb and Flo.